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Monday, 29 February 2016

Magrudergrind - "II" (Album Review)

By: Mike Wilcox

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/02/2016

Label: Relapse Records

Now operating out of Brooklyn NY the newly revamped Magrudergrind release “ii” with every bit of intensity that their cult following had dreamed of. Yes the songs are short and painfully sweet. Yes the vocal work is scream-shouted relentlessly. There is still a very large grind element to the music. The first four tracks come across aggressive and violent and the listener is geared up to hit the ground running. As “Relentless Hatred” belts out and goes into “Sacrificial Hire” the style change is more evident. With a focus on the heavy riffs giving foundation for the blazing rhythm/vocal attacks that follow, the listener is able to fall into the groove, even if only for a second, and is then brashly escorted into chaos, a maelstrom of drums, guitar and everything in between.

Magrudergrind – “II” "Expect the unexpected.” Words from Shane Embury on the upcoming Imperial Death March tour with the Melvins and Melt-Banana. I had reflected on these words when I first listened to Magrudergrind’s newest release on the heels of a six year hiatus and line up change. Now operating out of Brooklyn NY the newly revamped Magrudergrind release “II” with every bit of intensity that their cult following had dreamed of.

Kurt Ballou and GodCity Studio certainly had a hand in this (…”Ballou has done it again…” as I read elsewhere), but the true craft and shine of “II” comes from the meticulous intensity of its members. The notable difference in “II” and previous Magrudergrind recordings is that there is no longer the use of samples in the music. In fact, it’s much more of a “Bridge Burner” (Magrudergrind – “self titled”) feel overall. Yes the songs are short and painfully sweet. Yes the vocal work is scream-shouted relentlessly. There is still a very large grind element to the music. The first four tracks come across aggressive and violent and the listener is geared up to hit the ground running. As “Relentless Hatred” belts out and goes into “Sacrificial Hire” the style change is more evident. With a focus on the heavy riffs giving foundation for the blazing rhythm/vocal attacks that follow, the listener is able to fall into the groove, even if only for a second, and is then brashly escorted into chaos, a maelstrom of drums, guitar and everything in between.

The album isn’t about the fast songs in my opinion. With tracks like “Black Banner” and “Unit 731” intermittently throughout “II” the emphasis seems to be much more with the slow groove that is being spread among the faster acts. As I had touched on previously, Pig Destroyer gave us “Mass and Volume”, Agoraphobic Nosebleed is in the heat of a multi EP series featuring a focus on each member, and now Magrudergrind “slow down” with “II”. Slow isn’t the right way to characterize it, however. Structured. Intense. Deliberate. Everything that you hear was put there on purpose.

Magrudergrind’s” II” is an impeccable album in that regard. Time changes everything. Six years has given change to Magrudergrind. Typical to the polarization that comes with a band’s stylistic change, Magrudergrind’s revamped sound is not for everyone. Of course you’ll find purists wherever you go but there really is enjoyment for any fan in “II”. With the rebirth of a band comes tentative new territory, undiscovered styles and dynamics, a newly realized space for even more growth. Magrudergrind is back up and running and despite adopting some slower rhythms, they show absolutely no signs of slowing down.

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